Gathering Withered Petals
by TheBlackSister
Summary: Lily Evans wishes to mend her relationship with her sister once and for all. When she comes home, however, her sister is mysteriously dead. Lily must find the culprit, even if her only clue is a grain of dust.


A warm breeze ruffled the long auburn hair of the young woman walking up to an old house surrounded by oak trees. She was hauling a large trunk with her left hand, and a purse hung on her right shoulder. A happy smile lit up her face as the Tudor-style cottage came into her sight in all of its old-time beauty. This house belonged to her parents and was the place she spent most of her childhood at.

She had not been planning to come home for Easter break this year; it was her last year at Hogwarts and she wanted to seal each detail of the castle into her mind. But as holidays approached, Lily felt increasingly homesick. She missed the house, the garden, the walks to the river and, most of all, her family. Lily was very close to her parents and loved her sister very much, but a chasm lay between her and the latter. Petunia Evans was fearful and jealous of her sister's abilities and distanced herself. This time around, however, the chasm had to be breached: Lily had news.

She made it to the doorstep and rang the bell, anticipating everyone's surprise. Her mother opened quickly and let out a squeal of delight.

"Lily, dear, how wonderful! We thought you wanted to stay at school – Edmund, come here, look who's arrived!"

The next few minutes were spent in expressions of a happy surprise. Edmund hugged his eldest daughter, gently reprimanding her for not letting him know and having to heave the trunk all by herself. When the excitement toned down a little, Lily asked about her sister.

"I haven't seen her all day," Margaret Evans replied, looking a little concerned. "She must be in her room, unless she went somewhere really early. I didn't want to bother her."

"I'll go and knock," Lily volunteered. She went up the carved wooden staircase and walked up to the last door in a small hallway. Clearing her throat, she knocked twice.

No answer.

"Tuney, it's me, Lily," she called out. Not a sound came from the room. Lily wanted to rattle the doorknob, but as soon as she touched it, the door swung open.

Something caught Lily's attention at once. The single window was wide open, which was a rarity; Petunia never opened it, because the wind would disturb the neat stacks of papers on her desks. She looked around, trying to figure out what happened to change Petunia's habits so drastically.

The sight that met her eyes made the air stop halfway to her lungs. Petunia lay on her bed, her eyes wide open, her face horror-struck.

She was not breathing.

She was dead.

For a minute or two, Lily could not move; her legs seemed to have turned to leaden pillars. She stood there, gazing at the immobile body in the bed. Petunia looked as though she had been Petrified unexpectedly; her features were remarkably…alive. Lily had the distinct impression as though her sister was simply holding her breath. She came up to the bed and touched Petunia's wrist with an unsteady hand. There was no pulse.

The reality of the nightmare before her hit Lily with a brutal force. She burst into hysterical sobs; her knees gave way and she fell face first onto the bed. The noise must have been louder than she thought, because someone could be heard running up the stairs.

"Lily! Petunia! Are you all right?"It was their father; he entered the room with a concerned face. Then he saw the shaking Lily kneeling beside the breathless Petunia.

The next hour was blurry, and Lily would never be able to remember it clearly. Her mother, just as hysterical as herself, her father, horror-struck and speechless…all these images mixed to form one vortex of color, sound and feverish thought. Edmund was just about to call the police, when Lily noticed something strange. She remembered attributing it to morning sunlight earlier, but the sun has risen now, and could not be the reason for the odd, almost eerie glow that surrounded Petunia's body. The young woman could not imagine what would cause such an effect.

"Hang on, Dad, don't call them just yet," she warned, making her way toward the bed.

"But why would you possibly…" Edmund broke off, shocked to see his daughter slide a hand under the corpse and feel for something.

Lily could feel grains of something rub against the skin of her palm. When she freed the hand, a similar glow was coming from it. What's more, particles appeared to rise off her hand in strange flame-like pattern. The substance was obviously magical.

"I don't think the police should be involved in this, Dad," Lily said, looking earnestly at her father, who stared back at her, incredulous.

Lily watched her father stare at her. She understood perfectly why he doubted her advice. She was also confident that this was the course to take. The police could not do anything if magic was at work, and it was precisely the case here. For a moment she considered contacting Dumbledore, but decided to look around one more time. Lily asked her father to go check on his wife, and closed the door behind him.

Lily thought hard while examining the bedroom inch by inch. Whatever the powder was, it must have been a very advanced and rare substance, because she had never seen or heard about it. Severus has never mentioned it, either. It probably wasn't the cause of death, since Lily had touched it and hadn't gotten as much as a headache. What could it be, then?

The last area to be examined was Petunia's desk. As soon as Lily made to approach it, the door opened with a small creak and her father came in.

"Lily, your mother needs you. I'll make some tea and bring it up to her room."

Edmund waited for his daughter to exit the room and closed the door behind them both.

Margaret lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her face was deadly pale, but at least she calmed down. Lily sat on the edge of the bed and took her mother's hand in her own.

Cheerful songs of birds were flowing from the open window; the day was brilliant with sunshine and glorious blue skies. Yet in this room, decked out with cheery yellow wallpaper and a vase of daffodils on the bedside table, two women lingered, both broken by their sorrow.

"Why didn't you let your father call the police, dear?" Margaret turned her head to face Lily. Traces of tears could be seen on her cheeks.

"I don't think they would be any help, mum. There are traces of magic in that room," Lily replied, all of a sudden engulfed by a wave of shame. It was she who brought magic into their family. If it wasn't for her being a witch, Tuney wouldn't…Tuney wouldn't be…

"I'm glad we have your expertise to sort it out, then," her mother said, caressing Lily's cheek with her hand. Lily felt a sort of relief and comfort at these words. Both women cried softly.

After the tea, Lily went back to the room with her sister's body, resolved to find something, anything that could help her understand what had happened to her sister. She made straight for the desk, as it was the only unexamined area. Looking through the neat piles, she found something that made her take a step back from the desk. It was a piece of parchment with "Hogwarts" written on it in no handwriting that she could identify.

Lily sat on the nearest chair, deep in thought. What could this possibly mean? Petunia couldn't possibly have any parchment in her possession, and neither could her parents. Could this be that the murderer accidentally left a clue to his whereabouts? That was unlikely, as no one at Hogwarts had ever met Petunia, apart from Severus, or even knew where the Evans family lived. What could Hogwarts possibly have to do with it?

Lily got up. The only valid clue she had was the powder. It couldn't hurt to go to an Apothecary and try to find out what it was. The young woman made her way to her mother's bedroom.

"Mum, Dad, I'm going to try and check something. Please don't touch anything in…in that room."

Her parents nodded.

Lily Apparated in front of the Apothecary in Diagon Alley just as her watch ticked noon. She strode in, trying to look like a casual shopper looking for something to stare at. The first person she saw happened to be Mary, a friend from Hogwarts. Mary greeted her enthusiastically, informing her that she had run out of almost everything. Lily tried to look normal, and chatted with her friend for a few minutes, until Mary left.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Lily turned to look at the shelves. She found the display of various powders, and located the familiar white substance, with flame-like emissions, tightly sealed in a flask. Looking around, she found the owner and called him over.

"Would you tell me what this powder is?"

Mr. Smithson, a tall and thin man with brown eyes and light brown hair, thought for a moment, then answered.

"Toolsinham's Truth Powder, that is. Leaves no magical residue like Veritaserum does."

Lily thanked the man and got out of his shop, her head buzzing with a multitude of questions.

_Why? Why the Truth Powder? Why kill my sister? Who would want to harm Petunia, what kind of information could they possibly want…or get? _These and many other questions, less defined, but present, nonetheless, crowded Lily's brain, making it nearly impossible to concentrate and answer them. No bright ideas, so vital at this time, visited her.

Lily got up from the bench, just across the road from Fortescue's. She decided to take the only path she knew; that parchment mentioned Hogwarts. Maybe she would find something out there; at the very least, she could consult Dumbledore.

Briefly checking herself in a shop window, Lily turned around on her heels. A few seconds later, she stood before the two boar statues; she was at the gates of Hogwarts castle.

Making her way through, she looked in the direction of the lake. That was her favorite spot here. She loved to soak her toes in the warm water and listen to someone's casual chatter. She looked around again. There was the Whomping Willow. It was swaying its branches lazily. Lily almost walked by this unusual landscape feature, when a thought crossed her mind. She stopped, rooted to the spot. Slowly, so slowly that the movement was almost imperceptible, she reached into her skirt pocket. She pulled out the piece of parchment with _Hogwarts_ on it.

A piece of bark, so small she did not even register it until now, was stuck to the sheet. Lily did not know what to think. She stared at it, as though hoping the page would yell out the answers. Frustrated, she threw the page on the ground and fell to her knees beside it.

"Who did it? Why?" she sobbed. Then, suddenly, a wave of hatred engulfed her with such power that she could not breathe. Lily pulled out her wand and poked the parchment, feeling lost.

Letters appeared on the page. Lily blinked.

_Say please._

"What on earth? Say please? What is this?" Before the last words left her mouth, a low rumbling sound came from the ground. One of the Willow's roots pulled up and a stone doorway was revealed.

Lily blinked. Never, in seven years at Hogwarts, had she any idea that Willow could do that. Yet here she was, staring at the doorway. What to do?

"Well, here I go," she said, stepping into the darkness.

As soon as she was completely inside, a stone panel barred the entrance and a small torch came on. Lily felt a spasm contract her throat. The entire "room" was moving downward. After about half a minute, the movement stopped and the panel slid back again. A passageway was before her, lit with smokeless torches. A thin line of light a little distance ahead indicated an open door. Seeing no other alternative and wondering whether she would ever see the light of day again, Lily made for the door.

Having reached it, she pushed it open gently. It led to a medium-sized rectangular room that looked like a Potions lab. A blazing fire burned in a large fireplace, and a cauldron simmered sleepily over it. A tall and thin man in Muggle clothes was standing next to one of the tables, carefully pouring some liquid into a crystal phial. He did not seem to notice his guest, who, in turn, was gawking at him, unable to believe that such a room could ever be disguised this way.

After the liquid was poured into the phial, the man lifted his head, apparently just stretching a sore neck, when he saw Lily. His mouth opened and he made a few steps backward.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked, none too politely.

"I'm Lily. I am looking for a murderer, and my only clue so far led me here," the young woman replied before she had a chance to think.

"Well, I'm honored!" the man said rather sarcastically. "I've had some strange visitors, but your errand is the first of its kind. I can't help you."

Lily stared at the man, feeling dazed.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to be as polite as was humanly possible. "I think you just might be able to…ah, perhaps clarify a few things for me – please! I'm running out of options, you may be my last hope!"

The man surveyed Lily carefully. He had a pleasant face with large brown eyes and a prominent nose. His mouth was a thin line of two pale lips. Dark brown hair, neatly clipped, surrounded a low forehead. Finally, he spoke.

"Tell me what you know. I do not guarantee assistance, but an outsider's view may be illuminating. My name is Christopher, by the way."

"Thank you, Christopher. It means a lot." Lily went on to sum up everything she knew.

"Truth powder, eh? That's interesting… You know, I have an idea. Do you mind taking a trip to my house?"

"No, not at all." Lily was so relieved to have a partner in this investigation, that she did not even give any thought to the wisdom of going somewhere with a complete stranger. Christopher threw a light cloak over his shoulders and Apparated with her.

They arrived in an overgrown garden, in the middle of which stood an old, peeling Victorian house. An ancient oak grew off to the side of the lawn. A single gnome was digging in a mound of earth.

Christopher led Lily into the house and through to the sitting room. It was a clean and simple place, with comfortable armchairs and numerous bookcases. After offering a seat to his guest, the host made for the shelves in the far corner of the room, obviously knowing what he was looking for. Finally, he seemed to have found it – a small black book. Leafing through the yellowish pages, he stopped. A triumphant grin spread across his face.

"Eureka!" he said quietly.

"Did you find something?" Lily asked eagerly.

"Yes. You see, your sister was sprinkled with Truth Powder. The logical reason would be that someone wanted information, right? Well, there is a way to find out what kinds of answers she gave them, but.." Christopher looked unsure.

"What is it?"

"Well, have you ever heard of Priori Incantatem?" Seeing her nod, Christopher continued: "See, this is a similar principle. We can hear the last conversation a person had."

Lily stared.

"There is a spell that will give us the opportunity to listen to the last conversation your sister had. I'd have to be in the room she died in. But I have to warn you; be prepared for anything. Your sister may have been tortured – a Silencing Spell may have been placed on the room so your parents don't hear anything. Can you cope with that?"

Lily did not move. Of course, the possibility of hearing Petunia's screams of pain was terrifying, but… She had to find out what happened!

Seeing how nervous she was, Christopher went to the kitchen, quietly shutting the sitting room door behind him. Digging in a cupboard, he located what he was looking for. He returned to Lily's side, carefully carrying a phial filled with amber liquid and a glass.

"This is a Confidence Elixir, it will help you with this," he said softly.

Lily looked up at him, drew a shuddering breath and nodded, stretching a hand out for the glass.

Barely ten minutes later, Lily was leading Christopher to the front door of her parents' house. She felt much better after the potion; it was as though a new Lily came to life within her. There was no room for doubts or uncertainty. Not anymore.

Lily opened the front door quietly and carefully. Signaling to Christopher to wait in the entrance hall, she crept upstairs into her mother's bedroom. Both of her parents were asleep, exhausted from the tears. Lily went back to the little balcony that overlooked the foyer and motioned to Christopher to come up.

Lily and Christopher entered Petunia's room almost soundlessly. Nothing seemed to have changed; the young woman still lay on the bed, apparently asleep.

"Avada Kedavra was used here," Christopher said, approaching the corpse. "I can feel it."

He examined the body and the bed as carefully as he could without displacing anything. Finally, he turned to Lily and fixed her with a serious stare.

"Are you ready?"

All she could do was nod.

"Extracto Veritas Purum e Mortum!"

A dark wind lifted Lily's long hair. Suddenly, she realized she heard breathing of a third person – her sister.

Yet the body was completely immobile.

Next came the sound of a softly opening window and a whispered Silencing Charm. Then she heard her sister being roughly awakened…They were questioning her!

"The Key, you little brat, the Key, where is it? Answer me, where is it?

"I don't know! What key? I have no keys! Please!"

They tortured her and then, convinced that she could be of no use to them, put an Imperious Curse on her. They had her lie down calmly on her own deathbed and killed her. They left through the window.

Lily sat, stunned.

"Can you think of what that key is?" Christopher asked her, trying to distract her from the thoughts about her sister.

"No, I don't think so…Unless…but that's impossible. No one could possibly want that."

"What?"

Lily took a chain off her neck. Suspended on it was a delicate silver key, inlaid with a cut stone. She lay it flat on her palm and stretched her arm to let Christopher look at it.

The effect shocked her.

"The Key!" he exclaimed, falling into a nearby chair.

"What? What on earth is so special about it?" Lily could not believe that a Christmas present from her parents could elicit such a reaction in anyone, let alone the composed Christopher. Yet here he was, gawking at her key pendant as though it were the Holy Grail.

"What's so special about the Key of Destiny? Have you never heard of it?" Christopher still looked pale.

"No, actually. Are you sure this is it, though? My parents bought it in a regular shop and gave me as a Christmas present. How can it be remotely important? What is it, anyway?" Lily's speech was hurried and her lips were trembling. Was the stupid trinket really the cause of Petunia's murder?

"The Key of Destiny is a powerful magical artefact," Christopher replied, calming down. "I am sure this is it, there are…signs, if you will. It was created by an unknown wizard or witch, about two hundred years ago. It was enchanted to always look like new," he added hastily, seeing Lily open her mouth to protest. "Its powers are not entirely known, but it is said that it reveals your destiny, better than any method of Divination ever could. The trick is that it reveals all the possibilities, creating a sort of…chart. Basically, it tells you what happens after each choice you make. It shows you all your options, whether you know they exist or not."

"How could my parents ever have gotten a hold of it, though? A powerful object like that is bound to be heavily guarded by anyone who owns it, and the chances of it being sold to a Muggle are very slim," Lily reasoned.

"You are right but there are desperate circumstances. What if the owner knew someone was after it, and tried to safeguard himself?"

"Who would be so desperate to get it? I mean, they murdered a person who didn't even know what they were talking about!" Lily started pacing around the room.

"I can think of at least one person who would desire it above all else and be prepared to kill for it," Christopher said, studying his nails. "Can you think of one, Lily?"

Lily turned slowly to face him. A cold sensation crept up her spine.

"Are you saying…Voldemort?"

"Of course. His power is great already, but not quite enough to attack. He could use some inside information of what's in store for him. Mark my words, Lily, he will do anything to find out what lies ahead, and he will set great store by it. If a half-wit prophet told him that a baby will bring his downfall, he'd believe it. Maniacs like that always do."

Suddenly, a loud pop reverberated around the room. A tall, dark-haired witch Apparated between Lily and Christopher, laughing madly.

"So, figured that out, have you? It is always useful to have a Spying Spell in different places, just to listen to potentially interesting conversations. You followed the trail I laid out for you, Lily Evans, very well done. You are clever for a Mudblood. I led you to this would-be conjurer-" she nodded toward Christopher, who looked at her with horror and…was it realization? "so that he would explain to you what the Key is. You see, the Key loses its powers, unless the previous owner knows what it does. Now, then…"

"You did this, didn't you? You're the Lestrange woman! You're the witch in mask who came to me for the Truth Powder! You said…" Christopher turned to Lily. "Lily, I didn't tell you, because I wasn't sure and I wanted you to trust me, I truly wanted to help. I make and sell potions by special order. This woman," he indicated the smirking witch "came to me one day, masked. She cried and begged me to make the Truth Powder for her. She gave me a good reason, otherwise I'd never have agreed. I made some for her. It was used to question your sister." He looked sadly at the body.

Bellatrix laughed.

"Yes, my dears, that's exactly what happened. I killed that piece of filth myself."

"MY SISTER IS NOT FILTH, YOU FOUL WOMAN!" Lily's blood boiled with an unprecedented force. She didn't know the full extent of the witch's power, nor did she care. Lily whipped out her wand, and a duel ensued. Bellatrix was undeniably far more skilled. She fired curses at a magnificent rate, as though it was simply releasing feathers. Christopher lay on the floor; he tried to help Lily, but was quickly Stunned by the Death Eater. Bellatrix enjoyed herself beyond reason, laughing madly until…

A Disarming Spell hit Lily squarely in the chest. She was already leaning forward slightly, due to the previous spell.

She was still wearing the Key.

The spell hit it.

A deafening sound of shattering crystal told them that the Key was destroyed.

Bellatrix' eyes widened.

"Master!" she shrieked. The next second, she disappeared in a dark whirlwind.

Two days later, Petunia Evans was buried. Christopher attended the funeral – he was the only wizard there. Lily watched the coffin being lowered into the ground with a heavy heart.

"She will never be punished," she whispered to herself.

"You are quite mistaken," Christopher's voice sounded in her ear. "First of all, she's already been punished by her master for completely failing her mission. Secondly, there is a punishment in store for all of them. I am sure that someday, somewhere, there will be a person who will match their power."

Lily was packing. Her parents came in; she'd be leaving for Hogwarts n an hour. Lily wondered if this was the time.

"Mom, Dad, I have to tell you something. You see…I'm getting married.


End file.
